Confidence Boosters

Confidence Boosters are activities to increase your
confidence. They sound simple and they are. Basically, they’re used to
try to take you out of your everyday routine. It's very easy to get
caught up in autopilot of doing the same thing day in and day out. When
that happens you end up stuck in a rut and stop seeing the world around
you. Think about it, when’s the last time you went to a new grocery
store or restaurant? The problem comes when you do it so much that
you're afraid to try anything new. You can lose confidence in yourself
to be able to handle anything out of the ordinary. So, here are some
ideas of things to try. The catch though, is that you should try to do
them by yourself. This way you learn that you can do whatever you want
and you don’t have to wait for someone else to do them with. You know
you can depend on yourself to handle any new and unfamiliar situation.
You’ve done it before, you can do it again will become your new
attitude.

I’m going to keep adding to this list and I'd love to hear your ideas too. Use the comment form at the bottom of the page if you have any of your own confidence boosters you'd like to share.

Go To A Movie

Remember, the catch, you need to go by yourself. This is a really
good one to prove to yourself that you don’t need to wait until someone
can go with you to do things. You are capable of doing anything you
want when you want.

Pick something you really want to see. The nice thing is that
you don’t have to consider anyone else’s tastes or preferences. This is
something you think would appeal to just you. If you’re worried about,
“what will people think of me when they see me sitting by myself?”
Very few people will even notice you. They’ll assume your partner is
off getting the popcorn or they simply won’t care. You’re not going to
be there very long either before the lights go down and everyone,
including you, focuses on the movie.

After you’ve done it, you should be very proud of yourself. For
what sounds like such a simple thing, it actually takes courage to do
it. This is a good confidence booster.

Go Somewhere New

Be a Local Tourist
Most of us never go to the local tourist attractions unless we have
someone from out of town visiting us. Go check one out that you’ve
never been to before. Take your camera so you’ll have pictures later to
remind you of the new things you did all on your own. See your city
for the first time.

Explore Your Own City
Or go to an area of the city you don’t usually go to. There’s probably
lots of things there that you had no idea were there. Or just check out
a store you’ve never been to before. Go to a different grocery store
or go to a restaurant you've never been to before.

Explore your city and your surroundings. Not only will you be
building confidence in yourself that you can do things, you’re also
becoming more confident in getting around your own city. This will help
you when you’re ready to try other new things. It can sound almost
silly exploring your own hometown. You might think you already know it.
But, if you think about it, you may be surprised by how small of an
area you actually visit on a regular basis. Also, you've probably
stopped really "seeing" your surroundings. Changing your routine even
slightly will cause you to wake up from autopilot syndrome. Not only
will you discover new places, you may realize there's more efficient
ways of doing things or you may see new opportunities you just couldn't
see before.

Start small. Move up to bigger and bigger challenges. Each one you’re
successful at gives you another piece of confidence. Even if it doesn’t
turn out exactly as you’d planned, you know you can do it and learn
from the experience. Once you’re comfortable in your own city you’ll be
able to keep going. Soon, you’ll be exploring surrounding cities or
even going on that trip you’ve been dreaming about.

Learn Something New

The more things we learn and the more skills we gain, the greater the
confidence we have in ourselves. We know we can do things. We have
experience in completing tasks and we can use the knowledge we've learned
to acquire even more skills. One builds on another.

Take a Course

Check out your local City’s recreational programs, see if anything
interests you. Usually there’s almost too many things to pick from. It
could be a fitness class (pilates, yoga) or a pottery or glass blowing
glass or jewellery making class or painting. I tried out a silver
jewellery making course. It was fun, I learned a lot, and I made some
friends in the class. I’ve also done tons of pilates classes. Those
are good too because I’m doing something beneficial to my body which
makes me feel more confident because I feel healthier but also I’m
getting out there and trying something new.

Or how about learning a new language? You can take a course in
your city or there's even lots online that you can check out. If you do learn another language, you'll feel more comfortable travelling
to foreign places.

Learn OnlineAnother way to gain new skills is to learn online. A site I've been using a lot lately is

They have tons of courses available and they're all online. I really
like the format in that most of the courses are done in 10 minute
increments which is really helpful if you tend to get interrupted a lot
or if you find it hard to focus for long periods of time. Also makes it
really easy to go back and watch certain lessons over while you're
actually following the steps if you're learning something like a new
software program. The other thing I really appreciate about it is that
you pay one monthly fee and you can watch as many courses as you'd like.
That's great! You can learn a ton in a month. If you want a new job,
great way to update your skills for your resume. It also just makes you
feel a lot more confident knowing that you can learn anything you put
your mind to. The instructors are great and it makes learning so much
easier. I found it much easier learning new software programs this way
than going to an actual on site course somewhere. I could do it at my
own pace and I wasn't trying to cram 6 hours of knowledge into one
single day which a lot of in person courses do. I learn much better
doing a little every day. So, definitely worth checking out

Like Renovating?

Lots of home renovation stores now have short courses on anything
from tiling your bathroom to painting faux marble to installing a
garbage disposal unit. Lots of things to choose from. Pick one and
have fun with it. Think how much confidence you'll have the next time
you're able to fix something without having to call for help. Or how
about how much you'll save from being able to do things for yourself.

Have a Car?
Lots of cities offer programs to teach you the basics about your car;
changing a flat tire, checking the oil, etc. If you take one of these
courses, it’ll give you more confidence when you’re out and about
exploring. You know you’ll be able to handle any emergency like
changing a tire.

Paint Some Pottery
There are lots of places that allow you to paint pre-made pottery
pieces. This will allow you to be creative but also try something new.

Volunteer
There are lots of opportunities to volunteer. This is a great chance to
work on your confidence but also help out your local community. It
will also make you feel good helping others. You’ll probably also learn
new skills that will help you out in the future.

Gaining Skills Are Great Confidence Boosters

The good thing about these activities is that you’re gaining skills.
Having those skills increases your belief in yourself. It also gets you
focusing on exploring your world and everything in it. You're not
focused on yourself and what you feel is wrong with you or your
shortcomings. You're out there exploring your interesting and
constantly growing and learning. No more being stuck in a rut for you.
You’re out enjoying yourself and while you’re doing that, you’ve built
up confidence in yourself. So, get out there and try a confidence
booster. The world is an amazing place and it's just waiting for you.

Even More Confidence Boosters Submitted by You

The following suggestions were submitted by visitors to the site. Really great ideas. Love them. Let's keep them coming. If you have any more confidence boosters to add, just use the Add Your Comments form below. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

After being down for nearly a year
leaving me in dis-array and overwhelmed I found your site - very helpful
- and I started some Confidence Builders of my own that proved to be
wonderful - 10 minute Sprints - I asked myself one day what could I do
in just 10 minutes and started a list - I was shocked at how much I
could do and the shot of energy I got - example:
1. Pick up clothes in my room, make bed with daily clean pillow case and bring clothes out to the laundry
2. Pull clothes from the dryer and fold
3. Boil water for coffee while I bring in the mail
4. Cream my face, arms and legs and brush my hair
5. Dishes in dishwasher - clean counter and sink
6. Write out a poem I am memorizing
7. Do bends and stretching exercise
8. Phone call a client with a written prepared opener
9. Clean a shelf in the Refrigerator or Pantry
10. Sweep/Blow/Rake Patio for 10 minutes
11. Clean patio glass door 1
2. Write a note to a friend or family member
13 Write a list of 10 Gratitudes
14. Play one piece on the Piano - make a list of 10 minute pieces.
15. Vacuum one room
16. Water indoor plants
17. Boil and cool hardboiled eggs while slicing an apple and a carrot
18. Make a pot of tea and set out a pretty tea plate, cup and saucer with best silverware
19. Early morning open all the windows in the house for 10 minutes and then close them
20. Without scolding or acting annoyed help someone organize their
clutter for 10 minutes - Then I wanted to see how far I could quick walk
in 10 minutes - really 5 minutes so I could be out and back in a total
of 10 minutes.

These 10 minute sprints seem doable without the grind of a large
project - make me feel light and playful often shocked at how much I can
do in 10 minutes.

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a few more ideas for confidence boosters

Submitted by Millie
(England)

Do something that scares you .... go to a pub on your own; ask
to join someone's table at a café, go away for a night, if something's
worrying you, ask; treat yourself to a candle lit dinner or do something
kind for someone else :)

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Something New

Submitted by Anonymous

Doing something new
I think it good to do something new that you never would have did.

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More Confidence Boosters

Submitted by Phil (Australia)

Confidence Boosters: Visit a display house/open for inspection, one that you aspire to.

Take a car that you aspire to for a test drive or visit a showroom and just sit in it for a while.

Go on a country hike & enjoy nature.

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confidence boosters

Submitted by wendi lemerande
(waupaca, wi)

You have offered some good advise, any books that a 14yr old
good read or thoughts for teens entering high school? Any classes that
help in that area?